Higuma Japanese Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
131 reviews
Menlo Park, CA
"Exhausted restaurants that offers kaiseki menus in SF (we have already tried Kiss Seafood and Kappa), I made the determination of taking my…" read more »
126 Reviews for Higuma Japanese Restaurant
We have tried almost all sushi places in Peninsula and glad that we found this place. The Chirashi(could have put extra clams in it though) and spicy tuna handroll are soooooooooo delicious. Everything is very fresh and we have been going there at least once a week. the price is reasonable also.
Great place for Sushi. My husband and I were hungry for some Sushi so we called our friends (who used to live in Japan) to see if they wanted to go to Ganko Sushi so we headed out to Ganko but when we got there we found out that they were closed. So we decided to see what other Sushi place we should go to. Our friends suggested Higuma. They said they had a decent experience last time but thought it might be worth the second try.
The homemade Gyoza was delicious (we ordered three plates of them and they come in groups of six). We ordered a lot of good food, I can't remember all of the food but I know we ordered the standard California roll and we ordered this Italian roll that was awesome.
Overall this place was great and I will definitely go back again. I think the bill for our food and three tall bottles of beer for four of us was $98. We ordered a lot of food and it was delicious. Definitely worth the try.
This is a tiny establishment, and because of this, getting a table can be gamble. I wasn't too impressed with the food I got, although I only tried the a-la-carte chicken. The portions are generally small, but the prices aren't bad.
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We just moved to the area and are looking for a nearby sushi spot for our regular fix. Of course we turn to yelp. Unfortunately we were very dissappointed with the quality of sushi at Higuma. The BF ordered the chirashi bowl, and the sashimi on top looked to be quite old and had little end pieces formed together as a piece of sashimi!!! He believes he received this because he requested no octopus.
They also have the regular soy on all the tables, so I thought they probably didn't have the low sodium variety. After being overwhelmed by a dire thirst after dipping a couple of pieces of sushi into this soy (I haven't used regular soy in I don't know how long), I did request and receive low sodium.
The prices are cheap, but I would much rather pay for a higher quality and more enjoyable dining experience.
After seeing the mostly positive yelp reviews this place got on my "to try" list. Tonight while driving to Erawan my wife noticed it wasn't looking too crowded so we ducked in to check it out.
I had:
Gyoza
Spicy Tuna Roll
Kani
Ebi
Maguro
Spicy Scallop Hand Roll
Rainbow Roll
Sake
Overall the sushi wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. On the positive side the portions were the correct (small and bite sized) size. The fish quality seemed to be pretty good, but something about the rice threw me. It wasn't Costco tasting like Sushi Monster in Belmont, but it tasted cheap or fake in some way. Their sushi seems to be similar to Ganko.
The most expensive roll I ordered was the rainbow roll which was over $10. Unfortunately the California roll on the inside was made with a hunk of imitation crab. C'mon, imitation crab in a flagship roll, that's friggin weak.
On the positive side, their service is lightning fast.
I like Narita in Belmont better and it's closer to my house. So unless something wacky happens or I'm drunk or on drugs, this will probably be my only trip to Higuma. It's a shame that yelp is propping this place up. I could have eaten some tasty Pad Ki Mao at Erawan and instead I had some low/middle grade sushi.
Sigh...
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Higuma Sushi is a solid lunch option - not outstanding, but not bad, especially for Redwood City.
My first visit today was for lunch and I ordered the spicy miso ramen and tunapoki don. For $10.50, it was both tasty and filling. I would definitely consider coming back to try the sushi, and would order the ramen again if I had the craving.
The parking lot was full, but we walked from the nearby lot just down the street. The place was reasonably busy (always a good sign) but had a couple open tables and we received prompt service from a friendly Japanese waitress.
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I really like this Japanese restaurant. The prices are reasonable, the food is fresh and good, and the staff is friendly. I learned about this restaurant from my brother, who lived in Japan for several years and is picky about his sushi.
It's easy to miss the restaurant (hard to notice as you're driving down El Camino). The parking lot is small and can be over-crowded, which is inconvenient.
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Our favorite Japanese restaurant in the area. Completely authentic (good sign -- all the staff are Japanese). They make really good ramen, have great choices and good value for their combination boxes, and decent sushi. Having living in Japan for over a year -- I'm an incredibly finicky Japanese cuisine eater. But they never disappoint. We go about once a week.
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I love the atmosphere at Higuma --- cozy, but not cramped/crowded, and I've never had to wait for a table. I spent several years living in Japan, and their menu makes me feel like I'm transported back there! Their curry with gyoza is my favorite, but I would also highly recommend the sushi. Prices are reasonable and service is very friendly. Parking is easy, also.
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This little hole in the wall was definitely worth it. I went there after work with a friend and since it was local to my office, I thought it was a good choice. The parking in the back was very limited, but i guess it made sense for such a small restaurant.
Upon going in, i could tell that this was a mom and pop operation and it was really limited. I was seated immediately and quickly attacked the menu.
Right off the bat, i was a little surprised at how limited their menu was, but comparatively with other restaurants where the restaurant is bigger to accompany a larger kitchen and staff, i thought it made sense. Sure, they didnt' have all the fancy rolls most other restaurants had but if you couldn't get the basic chirashi right, then you have no right doing that other fancy stuff.
I ordered the sake(salmon), negihama(onion and yellowtail), a couple of temaki handrolls, unagi + cucumber, white tuna, and agedashi tofu. The agedashi was alright, a little soggy but still good.
The one thing that stands out is that it tastes fresh! The negihama was awesome and the sake and white tuna tasted really fresh(meaning wasn't sitting out long).
The waitresses were polite, cheery, and came back to check on us the right amount of times.
This is NOT a fancy restaurant, but more of a nice hangout, and i could tell the other customers were regulars and knew what they wanted. The chairs and tables aren't fancy, but rather simple. Even the sushi area looks cramped, but some would say its 'cozy'.
I did mind a little when I could hear everyone else's conversations around me, and I surmise they could to.
As for some of the dishes i did not order, when i go back i plan on getting the curry katsu. That's something you don't find in most japanese restaurants, but i find that most japanese-owned places offer it.
This place had a taste of authenticity that makes me want to go back again to try their other dishes. Hopefully when i go back, it won't be crowded.
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I love Higuma! Its one of the least expensive, freshest Japanese restaurants Ive been to in the area. Ive tasted about half of their menu, and everything was great except for the Higuma Don. The Tunapoki Don that you can get with the ramen at lunch time is awesome, I wish they sold that apart from the ramen.
The only bad thing I can think of is the size of the parking lot and restaurant. Its tiny, so if you go when its busy it can be a little bit annoying (its impossible to ignore other peoples conversations), and parking can be hard to find too. If it was closer, I would probably go there several times a week.
We discovered this restaurant about two years ago, and it has since become our go-to place for nigiri and hand rolls in the South Peninsula. Higuma serves high quality, traditional sushi. And they offer selections for the more seasoned sushi eaters, such as amaebi, uni, and scallop. For these delicacies, the price can be steep (most are $4/piece), but I think that's the going rate in these areas. Their hand rolls, though, are well made and not expensive ($3), and given the size, can easily fill you up. They also serve bento boxes and brightly colored "dragon rolls" and "rainbow rows", if those are to your liking.
The restaurant is small and popular, so be prepared to wait for a seat.
About a year ago, they began serving lunch, during which they offer sashimi sampler platters and ramen. I think ramen is best left to specialized ramen restaurants and that sushi remains Higuma's strength.
Just ate here with my co-workers, based on the yelp reviews. Had the salmon Sashimi and was very pleased. Very fresh and tasty salmon for $10.50. It's in a cute little house off El Camino. Nice and attentive staff. Good lunch place.
Some of the best sushi in the area. Funny little location, you'd never expect to find a great restaurant, but there it is! Not terrific with kids, but it was doable.
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Maybe we were here on a bad night. The place is inexpensive but the food reflects the prices. I'd rather pay a little more for more love and bigger portions. The service was not as friendly as I'm accustomed to in many other Japanese establishments.
The best part about this place is you can order a lot of different things and if it sucks you can just say -- Oh well it was only 3 bucks, then try something else. The place is cute in it's own way. I'd go back but I won't hurry.
I LOVE SUSHI. There I said it! This place was definitley worth the wait! I went two times and I am already a faN!
1ST TIME VISIT:
I shared a table with another couple just to get in because they were so packed that Friday night. The fish is very fresh quite a deal consider the price of sushi in some places today.
2ND VISIT:
I wasn't too happy ON MY 2ND TRIP... I noticed that it wasn't as crowded, not sure if it was due to it being a Thursday night OR IF IT WAS BECAUSE THE WAITRESS WAS PUSHY AND DEMANDED A $10 MINIMUM DINNER ORDER?
I was ready to place my order when the Japanese waitress said to my SENIOR guest that he need to place a $10 minimum for dinner. I ignored her but he thought that was ridiculous to impinge on customers to spend a minimum amount for dinner especially if the order was for California Rolls. I laughed & told him in fron tof her, "that's not real sushi and if I was going to eat some REAL FISH, then I better get the real deal, especially if I was going to spend $10 or more for dinner".
The waitress still insisted and pointed on the hanwritten black inked sharpie pen sign posted above us..."you need to spend $10 because you are three at the table".
SO I THOUGHT OF SHOWING HER....WE SPENT $60 ....
kept ordering after every dish we ate...AND BOY WAS SHE IN FOR A SHOCK....THE TIP WAS EVEN BETTER!
Sometimes it's nice to surprise people who assume the worst.
I still would recommend it to anyone.
Something DISTURBING happened.
Weekend night. Just as we were done eating and about to spend some time chatting over sake, the staff starts putting up chairs on top of all the tables surrounding ours, leaving us with the uncomfortable and guilty feeling of having to leave.
The place closes at 9:30pm. IT WAS ONLY 8:40PM. When we asked, they said they were "closing early" because it was a slow night.
As if to trigger more anger in us - the instant we walked out (at 8:45pm), they immediately shut off the lights outside, leaving us stranded in the darkened parking lot. We saw a couple who had just parked their car and was heading to the restaurant. We advised them to go eat elsewhere because the place was closed already. What a stellar way to lose future customers.
Seriously. I understand that they have all the liberty to do whatever...but being kicked out like that was NOT COOL.
FOOD: See the photos? Three of us ate ALL that food, and while some were better than others, I wasn't particularly blown away by any of the dishes. Mostly 3-star quality.
* Good sashimi, but poorly flavored shari.
* Hamachi kama was tasty, meaty and juicy.
* Ankimo (liver) and gyu-tan (tongue) both had weird texture.
* Goma-ae (spinach with sesame) was lacking something.
* Chicken zosui was decent, but we can easily make this at home.
* Same thing with the curry.
* The best two "sushi" items were: spicy crunchy tuna roll and rainbow roll.
* The spicy miso ramen is only offered at lunch time. Will I go back for this? Maybe...but I'll call in advance to make sure that they're even open.
PRICE: Fair, very fair. With all this food and drinks, it was about $50 per person including tips.
SERVICE: Please reread from the first sentence.
SUM: I'd hate to deduct stars based on a single bitter experience, so 3 stars for the food.
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sushi good and cheap. small and tiny- good choice for lunch if u work around the area. the service can be good or bad- depending on how many people are there. bentos are kinda little though.....yummy katsu curry.....
ramen- is okay
they have sake along with beer and wine.
only a lunch time choice - would not come here for an enjoyable dinner.
My favorite ramen place in the bay area! Have to try to the shio (salt) ramen, the best of all other kinds here in Higuma. They added xiang-cai (chinese leaf) that makes the broth very nice. The place is very cozy like most japanese ramen house.
Higuma is Japanese for the Hokkaido brown bear, a bear that loves fresh fish. There are ferocious bear items on the restaurant's walls including a bear t-shirt, stuffed bear, etc. The restaurant looks like a cozy little Japanese house with small tables (don't come in a group larger than 4), and a row of five seats at the sushi bar.
I'll choose ramen over sushi just about any day of the week (I do like sushi but noodle soup is so satisfying). Besides ramen and sushi, they have bento box lunches, udon, and rice bowls for lunch. I hoped to receive a ramen menu during lunch but none was provided. I guess they only have one type of ramen now: spicy miso ramen. The paper sign for the ramen had a drawing of a skull, so I knew I had to have it.
The spicy miso ramen set comes with either a 3 piece California roll ($8.50), onigri (rice ball, $8.50) or tuna poke mini bowl ($10.50). It was served hot, but not piping hot like I like it. The noodles were a bit overcooked. The broth was a bit too salty; it was rich and oily but didn't taste much like miso. The pork slices had good flavor but I've had better. It came with bean sprouts, a piece of nori, wood ears, and scallions. It was a decent size but not large. The poke in the mini rice bowl was also too salty. Overall, it's a cute place and the best Japanese restaurant in Redwood City (I think there's one place that I haven't tried yet though).
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Higuma is an amazing. My husband and I eat here at least 2x per month. We usually get a mixture of sashmi and nigiri sushi. The salmon, tuna, and halibut are my fav. Get the halibut with ponzo sauce, it's to die for. We don't order the rolls so I can't say if those are good or not. The fish is constantly fresh and it's cheap.
Very tasty ramen! My coworkers and I got the spicy miso ramen and tuna poki don. So good!!! The service was great - we were in and out in under an hour too!
OK, so this place is not bad; however there is really no reason to go here. The food is good, but not great; the prices are OK, but not good; and the portions are quite small. Also, the rolls fail my rice to fish ratio test; I normally spend quite a lot of time picking the rice off the rolls so I can taste the fish. Everything Higuma does Ni-Mo's in San Mateo does better (cheaper, taster, bigger menu, bigger restaurant); even though I live in Redwood City, I will always prefer to drive there.
Higuma I feel is a 2.5 not a 2...but definitely not a 3.
Average sushi at best.
Smallest pieces of Sashimi I have seen in awhile.
Tuna Tataki was good...really good actually!!!
The sushi was just not what i expected from these reviews. We spent 57.00 and drank water....we were stuffed when we left but not satisfied.
sashimi = 2 stars
ebi = 3 stars
dragon roll = 2 stars
spicy tuna = 3 stars
california roll(was brought to us in error/we did try it) = 1 star
salmon roll = 2 stars
italian roll(salmon,avocado,cream cheese) = 2 stars
Everything is reasonably priced but you definitely get what you pay for.
If I was to go back I would try the ramen.
I suppose I am spoiled by Bonsai!
I love sushi and I love Sushi Sam's. But Higuma is my #1 when I can't get to San Mateo; tasty fresh fish with excellent service. The only drawback is the tiny dining area and poo-ball parking. Other than that I loves it.
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Stopped here last night for the first time and grabbed a sashimi dinner to go. Pieces were very small and NOT what I ordered. The salad that came with the dinner I think also had, like, ranch dressing on it? I was like, why? Am I at Chili's? Noticed, too, that they seemed to be closing even though it was only around 9. I'll probably never go back alone at night because that parking lot is super sketchy.
The sushi were fresh. The service was good. There are many rolls to try, along with other things. The tables are close together, and the wait was long. For the price, you can get more elsewhere.
Honestly, comparing it to all the other Sushi places that I've been to, taste wise, it's probably one of the better ones, but not the best. The sashimi slices were small. I did not leave as satisfied as I thought I would.
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Nearly the best Japanese food I've had.
We were a foursome and the wait was a little longer than we had planned for. I had never been before, but the couple we went with were veritable regulars - they should have expected the wait but seemed surprised when this quaint little spot had nary an empty table at 7:30 on a Saturday night. And they shouldn't have! Friendly and knowledgeable service. I think our waitress spoke the best English I've ever encountered from a server at a Japanese restaurant and even than some of my Japanese friends. Though toward the end of our meal we were fairly abandoned as my GF's husband wanted to order one more piece of sushi and some dessert and we couldn't catch our waitresses eye.
The miso soup they brought out before the meal was very good - served very very hot! So that's definitely a big plus!
BF had a terriyaki dinner box with beef and chicken. I snagged a piece of the beef and I couldn't believe how tender and flavorful it was! Until that exact moment all the terriyaki beef I had ever had was overcooked, tough and overly sweet. This beef stood on it's own and was lightly terriyakied - as opposed to terriyaki with some "beef" in it. I didn't get a chance to steal a piece of chicken but it looked delicious - not dry and tough-looking, but really nicely cooked.
We all ended up splitting an order of tempura. The shrimp was really good. I had to rest it from my BFs iron grip, but it was well worth it. Also the veggies were nicely done - not overly soft which can sometimes be the unfortunate case.
I had the 11 piece combination sushi plate which includes six pieces of tuna roll homochi, salmon, shrimp, halibut and manago. The shrimp is never my favorite, and this was no exception. I should have asked for something different, but didn't want to bother. My friends had no problem asking for replacement items in their orders and the waitress was very accommodating. The halibut, manago and salmon were among the best sushi I have ever had. The fish was so tender - the texture was fantastic. I will definitely get these again, and try other types during my next visit.
There is one bathroom through a very tiny door. But the bathroom on the other side is nothing like the other side of the Looking Glass. It's actually a pretty nice sized and nicely maintained restroom.
BF & I had a large sake, and appetizer and two entrees and our bill was about $35. Pretty reasonable considering how good everything was. I would definitely bring people here and there is no doubt I will return to satisfy my next sushi hankering.
Best sushi in Redwood City hands down. Fresh fish and tasty rolls. It can be crowded and parking can be a challenge but totally worth it.
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Lunch Review
Met up with my old classmate again for lunch... she's an aspiring Elite Yelper, so she's been on the look out for different eateries to try out.
Ordered the lunch box, as I wasn't particularly craving sushi or ramen today. The lunch boxes are reasonably priced from $7-9 I believe. I got the beef teri and tempura combo. I'd say the quality/taste of the food was pretty good. The tempura was nicely fried and not too greasy and the beef teri was tasty as well. The portions were okay... if you were a petite girl. I was definitely bummed when I saw the amount of beef teri that came in the box. I think it was ~4 oz of beef... probably a little less.
I was able to easily finish the box, though I didn't get to finish the bowl of rice (as the waiter was very quick to clear the table).
The place does get pretty busy... most tables were filled by the time we left. There's MAYBE 10 parking spots behind the building, so arriving early is probably a good idea.
The rolls (which I didn't order) did seem to be a little pricier than your average Bay Area Japanese eatery... I think it was about $11 for a Rainbow Roll. Perhaps it was a little bigger than other places, so don't quote me on that.
Overall, I'd say it was a "decent" place to grab lunch.
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Surprisingly a good sushi restaurant! I have always driven by this little house, but never went in until a friend suggested it for lunch. There's a variety of sushi choices as well as cooked items from the menu. And the great thing is that it's cheap in $$, but not in taste. Parking during lunch time was challenging but that wouldn't deter me from going back.
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Not a sushi lover but their curry is one of the best! A little bit on the spicy side for me (but I generally can't handle much spice). Service is always friendly and fast.
A cute little place. Comfy if you like small homey rooms. Not so good if you want a little elbow room. Tends to be crowded; has a happy family atmosphere, and an authentic feel.
Food is good quality and value, but neither very cheap nor very remarkable. Does not compare to Yokoyama (a mile away). Service is sometimes fast, sometimes quite slow, depending on the crowd.
I don't know why people think this place is good. It is not good. It's cheap but you pretty much get what you pay for. Also the rice is weird... kind of dry/hard.
Good find. It's a cool setting, but tight quarters. The service was very friendly and very attentive. The sushi was ok - their crispy tuna roll was awesome but some of their other stuff was kind of over-the-top in sauces. Reasonably priced too. No AMEX though.
I was going to give this place a 3, but they seated us right at 9:15 (when they close, I honestly didn't know)! I felt bad showing up right as they close, but there were still at least 6 customers inside. Drinks were served quickly. I ordered the eel and avocado roll, chicken and cucumber, and shrimp with cucumber rolls. I asked for a regular tuna roll as well, but it never showed. My roomie ordered potstickers and the Dragon Roll off the specials menu. Everything arrived quickly. The sushi rolls were small, but 6 pieces for about $2.50? Can't be beat. The dragon roll was $12.50 though and wasn't much bigger, to be honest. I wouldnt recommend ordering the special rolls, stick to the regular cheaper stuff.
Bill came out to just over $30. I think the waitress may have added up the total incorrectly, but I am not exactly sure.
I want to come back to try out the bento boxes and ramen!
Service was very friendly as well and everyone working there was speaking Japanese, which was comforting to know since I've been to some sushi places where the chefs spoke Spanish...
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Yet another on the list of places to try on the way home from work. I must admit I'm surprised this place gets written up as value. It was one of our more expensive meals and the quality just didn't keep up.
Pros: The housemade gyoza were tasty and reasonably priced.
Cons: the fish lacked flavor. The prices are per piece so what seems like it might be reasonable ($4.50 for a sushi on special when it's just one piece quickly adds up).
Okay, let me get my bias out there - I've always loved this place because the sushi is affordable, damn good, and it's the size of a hut so you actually feel like you're dining in someone's home !
I've been coming here for 3+ years and every time has been a great experience. Their sushi is fresh, portions are not overwhelming, (afterall, the art of enjoying japanese food is appreciating the taste and texture - it's not a Texas cook off for god's sake!) they have good quality sake, an intimate setting, and the staff is friendly.
I've had just about everything on their menu and honestly...I mean honestly, I have never been dissapointed. Btw - they take reservations if you are on the way, don't let any other yelper tell you otherwise. ;)
$7 bento box! $3 rolls! $4.50 for a large sake! YAY!
Must say that the portions aren't huge but the quality is very good. Definitely the best sushi for the price in the area. The place is tiny and the kitchen closes at 2pm for lunch so make sure you get there early. Be sure to try the spicy crunchy tuna roll, Yummy! Can't wait to go back and try their gyoza and ramen!
Update: Tried the ramen today and it was just ok. Maybe I'm not an expert on ramen but it was a little salty and expensive compared to what else you can get there for $8. I guess I'll stick to the rolls.
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This place has been here for a long time and I've never checked it out. Parking is interesting because the lot is quite small, but it was doable for dinner.
The prices were quite reasonable and the service quick and efficient. The sushi was not luxurious, but quite good nevertheless. We didn't try any of their special rolls - next time!
Overall a great experience if you have a craving for sushi but are not in the mood for something fancy.
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